Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
vol. 46, n. 2, abr./jun., 2010 Article
Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions
Elizabeth de Souza Nascimento1,*, Alfredo Tenuta Filho2
1Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of São Paulo, 2Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences University of São Paulo
The environmental impact caused by teaching and research with regard to chemical waste is of increasing concern, and attempts to solve the issue are being made. Education and research-related institutions, in most laboratory and non-laboratory activities, contribute to the generation of small quantities of waste, many of them highly toxic. Of this waste, some is listed by government agencies who are concerned about environmental pollution: disposal of acids, metals, solvents, chemicals and toxicity of selected products of synthesis, whose toxicity is often unknown. This article presents an assessment of the problem and identifies possible solutions, indicating pertinent laws, directives and guidelines; examples of institutions that have implemented protocols in order to minimize the generation of waste; harmonization of procedures for waste management and waste minimization procedures such as reduction, reuse and recycling of chemicals.
Uniterms: Laboratory chemical waste/management in universities. Environmental safety. Environmental education.
O impacto ambiental acarretado por atividades de pesquisa e ensino no que se refere aos resíduos químicos vem sendo cada vez mais discutido e tentativas de solucionar a questão vêm sendo apresentadas. As instituições de ensino e pesquisa, em quase todas as atividades e não somente as laboratoriais, contribuem para a geração de pequenas quantidades de resíduos, muitos deles altamente tóxicos. Destes, alguns constam em listas de agências governamentais que se preocupam com a qualidade do meio ambiente: descartes de ácidos, metais, solventes, agentes químicos de elevada toxicidade e ainda os produtos de síntese, cuja toxicidade é frequentemente desconhecida. Este artigo apresenta uma avaliação do problema identificando possíveis soluções, a partir da apresentação de legislações pertinentes, exemplos de instituições que vêm implantando protocolos que minimizam a geração de resíduos, sistemas de harmonização de processos de gerenciamento de resíduos e procedimentos de minimização de resíduos, como a redução, reutilização e reciclagem dos produtos químicos.
Unitermos: Resíduos laboratoriais/gerenciamento em universidades. Segurança ambiental. Educação ambiental.
INTRODUCTION institutions. In the book, the authors stressed the need to implement a practice for the treatment of chemical waste in The environmental impact of chemical waste pro- educational institutions, which in most laboratory and non- duced by teaching and research is a topic that has been laboratory activities, contribute to the generation of small of great concern and discussion for at least two decades, quantities of waste, many of them highly toxic. Some of as illustrated in the book by Ashbrook and Reinhardt this is listed by governmental agencies who are concerned (1985) on the generation of hazardous wastes in academic about the quality of the environment. Examples include the disposal of toxic acids, metals, solvents, chemicals and *Correspondence: E. S. Nascimento. Departamento de Análises Clínicas e also products of synthesis whose toxicity is often unkno- Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São wn. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the composition of Paulo. Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 580 - 05508-000 - São Paulo - SP, Brasil. E-mail: [email protected] waste from research labs constantly changes according to 188 E. S. Nascimento, A. Tenuta Filho each project being developed. This situation can no longer that of working in a safe, healthy and clean environment, be ignored by academic institutions, and various research in line with the principles of ecology (Armour, 1996). and educational institutions in Brazil are concerned about The United States of America’s legislation related to this problem and are integrating hazardous waste mana- environmental care in educational institutions is the Re- gement into their activities. Some of these activities are source Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), also kno- available in frequent articles published in the Química wn as “Solid Waste” Disposal Act, which came into force Nova Journal, numbering among them articles by: Jardim, in 1976, and is an interesting example of the concern over 1998; Cunha, 2001; Amaral et al., 2001; Afonso, et al., the risks associated to ecological damage. Its objectives are 2003; Alberguini et al., 2003; Bendassolli, 2003; Afonso, to protect human health and the environment, reduce the 2004; Gerbase, et al., 2005; Imbroisi, et al., 2006. There generation of all types of waste, toxic or otherwise, and to are also several books by Brazilian authors addressing the promote the conservation of energy and natural resources. management of chemical waste in universities (Alberguini This law gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency et al., 2005; Figueredo, 2006). (EPA) the power to regulate the disposal of toxic waste in The work by Nolasco et al. (2006), analyses the the U.S.A, and authorization to bring civil and criminal implementation of programs for managing laboratory charges against whoever violates this law. There have chemical waste in Brazilian universities, and states that already been cases of not only industries, but also various several programs are responding to the requirements of the American universities, being charged, condemned and pillars of sustainability and ecological awareness, which subject to severe penalties. According to the amendment to were the main proposals of Agenda 21. The authors also this law, dated October 1990, (USA) individuals charged mention that in the last decade, some of the oldest and most with this type of violation, can be personally prosecuted, prominent Federal and State universities have been adap- convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in State or Fe- ting and establishing proper measures for control waste. deral prisons. Another penalty of significant importance These institutions include the Center for Nuclear to educational and research institutions committing this Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo (Tavares, type of violation, is that they may no longer receive funds 2004), the University of Campinas - UNICAMP (Gerbase or subsidies from government organizations to support or et al, 2005), the Institute of Chemistry of the University sponsor their research. of Rio de Janeiro - IQ / UERJ - (Barbosa et al., 2003), the In 2006, EPA proposed alternative and more fle- Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Parana - xible standards for the management of hazardous waste DQ / UFPR (Cunha, 2001), the Institute of Chemistry of generated in academic institutions, as the environmental the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - IQ / UFRGS agency considered that the legislation, which had formerly (Amaral et al., 2001), the Regional Integrated University been established for industries, needed to be adapted in of High Uruguay and Missions - URI (Demaman et al., various aspects. Academic institutions present different 2004), and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ characteristics to those of industry, since the amounts (Afonso et al., 2004). In addition to these sites, other initia- of waste generated are smaller, diverse and distributed tives are being carried out in other educational institutions, across various laboratories, manipulated by students in for example Borghesan et al. (2003), cited the University various situations that are not always supervised by trained of São Paulo, São Carlos, while Mortari (2003) mentioned individuals. Thus, the revised legislation came into force the Franciscan University Center. in 2008 (Monz, McDonough, 2006; Archer et al., 2000). Otenio et al. (2008) also described a case study as- As stated above, although the amount of waste gene- sociated with the management of biowaste for milk at Em- rated in academic institutions is small, less than 1% of the brapa Gado and pools the opinion of researchers, analysts total generated nationally, waste in education institutions and trainees on the problem of waste generated in biological is considered heterogeneous, and may include highly research. The advantages of establishing and maintaining toxic compounds. Therefore, any teaching and research programs for waste management in universities, teaching institution committed to its employees’ and students’ he- and research institutions, both governmental and private, alth must consistently uphold the laws related to workers’ largely outweigh the operational costs that these entail. chemical safety, and laws on management of hazardous One of the most significant advantages is undoubte- waste released by its laboratories. dly the fact that students are taught how to adequately deal The concept of waste minimization encompasses with the waste produced in research and in classrooms, any action that reduces the amount and/or toxicity of thereby minimizing damage to the environment. Moreo- anything to be discarded as hazardous waste. It is therefore ver, another advantage, which should not be overlooked is essential that the waste is properly handled, stored and Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions 189 disposed of. When the waste generating source has been Thus, institutions both private and public can benefit identified, whether highly hazardous or otherwise, proto- from the implementation of such systems that significantly cols or operational procedures aimed at their appropriate improve the environment in which they are located. A disposal should be implemented. program of waste management is an integral part of the Most of what is used in university laboratories, albeit environmental care recommended by ISO 14000. Such related to research or teaching at some point, can become programs can and should be implemented in educatio- hazardous. Examples are solvents, glassware, reagents, nal institutions, and this necessarily includes constant packaging of dangerous products, biological material, out evaluation of laboratory activities and processes, aimed of order, broken or obsolete equipments, broken thermo- at reducing the generation of disposable material and meters, and outdated or obsolete computers. A visitor to increasing recycling. most unpretentious academic laboratories would see such The waste generated by academic institutions such material, which can cause safety problems and have an as universities, institutes and high schools can be classi- impact on environmental health if disposed of in an indis- fied into four main categories: household, biological and criminate manner. Thus, it is important to urgently address chemical waste, and radiation. The last three may or may this problem, where this can be done by cutting down on not be considered dangerous. Those considered hazardous waste production, and properly treating and disposing of should be discarded as such and not as common garbage, the waste which is produced. seeking to minimize environmental impact and to adhere to specific waste management laws enforced by European, HARMONIZATION OF WASTE MANAGE- American, and Brazilian legislations (Council Directive MENT PROCEDURES 91/689/EEC, USEPA, 1996; Brazil, 2002). Hazardous chemicals normally found in academia The last few decades have seen great development and requiring proper treatment are: in the creation of standards and quality systems in several professional activities many of them aimed at improving • chemical wastes generated in research laboratories, harmonization of procedures, the quality of manufactured and during teaching activities; products, and professional activities. Among these systems • old chemical agents, considered an institutional are the ISO - International Standards Organization, liability, often difficult to identify and abandoned whose function is to ensure the desirable characteristics in the laboratory; of products or services such as quality, environmental • chemical agents surpassing their expiration date and care, safety, reliability and efficiency. Most of the ISO therefore in need of re-evaluation of their effective- guides are specified for products, processes or materials. ness, and need for disposal; ISO 9000 procedures focus on quality and ISO 14000 on • bottles of chemicals without labels or with wrong or the environment, and are considered generic systems of unreadable labels; management standardization. The term generic used here • material in a state of deterioration or in packages has the connotation of allowing these systems to be applied which are deteriorated, or damaged; to any organization, large or small, in order to carry out any • unknown residues in chemicals containers; activity in any sector of the economy, public administration, • laboratory waste such as paper towels and rags; or government organizations. The ISO 9001 standard • personal protective equipment: aprons, glasses, provides a series of requirements for implementing a quality masks, gloves contaminated with harmful biologi- management system, while the ISO 14000 pertains to an cal, chemical or radioactive material; environmental management system (www.iso.org). • non-recyclable batteries and gas cylinders; When organizations follow the spirit of ISO 14000, • photographic film processing solutions; it means that they promote changes in attitude, operational • pesticides, equipment containing toxic compounds, procedures and in management, which then yields many different types of waste oils, used solvents, Thinner, benefits. This standardized protocol provides common oil remover, wood preservers; sense information to help reduce the negative impact of • formaldehyde, formalin, acrylamide waste in liquid several activities on the environment, therefore reducing or gel form; costs by cutting down on waste and preventing pollution, • mercury and other metals with high toxicity; in addition to contributing to the quality of the commu- • defunct electronics, computers and thermometers; nities in which the organization operates (Rondinelli et • sharp devices such as: needles, syringes, chromato- al., 2000). graphy needles, Pasteur pipettes, tips; 190 E. S. Nascimento, A. Tenuta Filho
• bleach, ammonia, cleaning solvents, liquid wood 10004:2004 - Standard for classification of solid waste, polish; along with other resolutions and decrees, State or Fede- • chemical bottles (glass and plastic) empty but con- ral, above mentioned organization (State Environmental taminated; Authority - SP: CETESB) is in charge of controlling this • contaminated broken (or damaged) laboratory glass; activity. • mercury-contaminated, broken (or damaged) ther- There are also other technical standards such as mometers; those released by the Brazilian Association of Technical • carcinogenic and radioactive chemicals, pathogenic Standards (ABNT) (www.abnt.org.br) listed below: microorganisms. • NBR 12807 - Medical Waste Residues - Terminolo- RELEVANT LAWS RELATED TO WASTE DIS- gy; POSAL • NBR 12808 - Medical Waste Residues- Classifica- tion; Although very little legislation is directly related • NBR 12809 - Handling Waste Health Residues to the management of hazardous waste in teaching and Procedures; research activities, there are many laws, rules and ordi- • NBR 12810 – Disposal of Waste Health Residues nances in a Federal, State and local realm related to the Procedures; subject in question. An interesting portal to be consulted • NBR 12980 – Collection, sweeping and packaging for information on health laws and regulations is the site: of solid waste - Terminology; http://www.cvs.saude.sp.gov.br/publ_leis3.asp. • NBR 8419 - Projects of landfills for Urban Solid Examples of pertinent legislation: Waste Residues; • Resolution RDC 306/2004 (ANVISA) - technical • NBR 9191 - Plastic bags for waste; regulations for the management of health services • NBR 10004 - Solid Waste - Classification; waste; • NBR 10005 – Procedure for Waste residue leaching; • Resolution CONAMA 357/2005 - sets the conditions • NBR 10006 – Procedure for Solubilization of Waste and standards for effluents release; residues; • Resolution CONAMA 358/2005 - treatment and • NBR 10007 – Waste Sampling Procedure; final disposal of health services waste; • NBR 10157 - Hazardous Waste Landfill - Procedure • State Decree 8468/1976 - provides for environ- Criteria for Design, Construction and Operation. mental pollution prevention and control; Law No. 12300/2006 - establishing the Solid Waste State Resolutions Conama n. 358 and ANVISA n. 306 Policy (São Paulo State); • Resolution SMA - 31, 22-7-2003 -management of Resolutions CONAMA n.358 of 29 April 2005, and chemical waste from health service establishments the Ministry of Environment and ANVISA in the DRC in São Paulo State; 306, 7 December 2004, seek to minimize occupational • Nuclear Energy National Commission - Standards. hazards and protect the health of workers and the general 6.05 (Management of Radioactive Waste in radio- population. This resolution, in its Article 1, specifies that active facilities), CNEN resolution 19/85, Federal its application is related to all services that include assis- Official Gazette, 17/12/1985; tance to human or animal health, laboratories of analysis • Nuclear Energy National Commission – Standards. for health products and, subject to this chapter, health N. 6.09 (Acceptance Criteria for Disposal of low educational and research institutions, among others. This and average Radiation Levels), Resolution CNEN resolution classifies the various types of waste into 5 ca- 19/09/2002, Brazilian Federal Official Gazette, tegories, and indicates how each one should be handled: 23/09/2002; • ANVISA - DRC 306 and Ministry of Health and the I - GROUP A: Waste with the possible presence Environment - CONAMA 358/2005 - Treatment of of biological agents that, by its characteristics of greater waste containing biological or pathogenic material. virulence or concentration, may pose a risk of infection.
In the case of chemical waste from laboratories, a) A1: there is no specific legislation for their classification, 1. Microorganisms cultures and stocks; residue waste treatment and disposal, thus one should use the NBR of biological products manufacture except hem- Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions 191
derivatives; disposal of attenuated or live microorga- is unknown, or suspected of prion contamination; nisms, vaccines, culture medium of microorganisms 4. Fat residue waste from liposuction, liposculpture or and instruments used to transfer, inoculation or other plastic surgery procedure that generates this mixing of cultures, residue waste from laboratories type of waste; of genetic manipulation; 5. Containers and materials resulting from health care 2. Waste resulting from individuals or animal health processes, which contains no blood or body fluids; care suspect or certain of contamination including 6. Anatomical parts (organs and tissues) and other class 4 risk biological agents, microorganisms of waste from surgical procedures or of anatomical and epidemiological relevance and risk of dissemination, pathological studies or diagnostic confirmation; or able to cause of emerging diseases that could 7. Carcasses, anatomical parts, or other waste from become of epidemiologically importance, or when animals not submitted to experimentation processes its transmission mechanism is unknown; with inoculation of microorganisms; 3. Bags containing blood or blood transfusion rejected 8. Empty or semi used blood bag for transfusion. due to contamination or poor storage, or expired validated date; The generating unit should discard this material without 4. Remains of laboratory samples containing blood or prior treatment at sites previously designated for body fluids, containers and materials resulting from Health Services waste disposal. health care processes, containing blood or body fluids. e) A5: The generating unit should treat this type of waste Organs, tissues, body fluids, piercing or sharp mate- before disposing of it. rial and other materials from human or animal health care, suspected or certain of contamination with prions. b) A2: The generating units must incinerate them. Carcasses, body parts, other waste residues from animals used in experimental processes involving ino- II - GROUP B: Waste containing chemicals that may culation of microorganisms, and the corpses of animals present risk to public health or the environment, depending suspected of being carriers of microorganisms of relevance on its characteristics of flammability, corrosivity, reactivity and epidemiological risk of dissemination. and toxicity. The generating unit should treat this type of waste before disposing of it. a) Hormonal, antimicrobial, cytostatic, anticancer, immunosuppressant, digitalis, immunomodulatory, c) A3: anti-retroviral products, when discarded by health Human body parts, products of fecundation wei- services, pharmacies, drugstores and distributors; ghing less than 500g and/or less than 25 cm, with gestation medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials residue age less than 20 weeks: waste; The generating unit should organize for material to b) Sanitizing, disinfectants waste; waste containing be cremated, incinerated, or buried. heavy metals, laboratory reagents, including containers contaminated with these materials; d) A4: c) Image processor effluent (developers and fixers); 1. Kits of arterial, intravenous and dialysis lines, when d) Effluent of automated equipment used in clinical discarded; testing; 2. Filters for air and gases aspirated from contaminated e) Other products considered dangerous, under classi- areas; filter membrane from hospital, clinical and fication of the ABNT NBR 10004 (toxic, corrosive, research equipment, among others; flammable and reactive). 3. Remains of laboratory samples and their containers of feces, urine and secretions from patients that do The generating unit should treat them for final spe- not contain, nor are suspected to contain risk class cific disposal, unless they are subjected to reuse, recycling 4 agents, and neither have relevance and epidemio- or recovery processes. logical risk of dissemination, or microorganism causing emerging disease that has become important III - GROUP C: Any material resulting from human epidemiologically or their transmission mechanism activities containing radionuclides in quantities exceeding 192 E. S. Nascimento, A. Tenuta Filho the limits specified in the rules for disposal of the National processes of friction, absorption of moisture or Commission of Nuclear Energy-CNEN and for which the spontaneous changes; reuse is inappropriate or not provided for. Any materials • Corrosivity: aqueous solutions with pH below 2 resulting from research and educational labs, health, cli- or above 12.5, or compounds with high reactivity nical and laboratory testing services, nuclear and radiation in water or forming potentially explosive mixture medicine containing radionuclides exceeding limits of with water, or usually unstable, or those that gene- elimination fall into this group. rate fumes, smoke or toxic gases when mixed with The generating unit should follow the rules of the water, or cyanide residues or sulfide gas generators, Nuclear Energy National Commission - CNEN - for the smoke or toxic fumes in pH between 2 and 12.5, or treatment of radioactive waste. explosive compounds, and if capable of corroding steel at the rate of 6.55 mm per year, in temperature IV - GROUP D: Biological, chemical or radiological of 55 ºC; waste not causing health or environmental risk, can be • Reactivity (causes irritation): non-corrosive chemi- treated as household waste. cal agents which by contact with skin or mucosa, can cause inflammation. It is worth noting that corrosive a) Sanitary paper, diapers, sanitary napkin, disposable substances at low concentrations may be irritating; pieces of clothing, food remains from patient, ma- hydrophilic agents such as ammonia, are irritating terial used in anti-sepsia, and other similar material to the upper respiratory tract; organic solvents are not classified as A1; irritants due to dissolution of the dermal lipid layer. b) Food and food preparation scraps; • Toxicity: toxic metals, pesticides, organic compoun- c) Cafeteria food scraps; ds, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, among other d) Waste from administrative areas; residues. The toxicity is proven from toxicological e) Sweeping waste, flowers and gardens; in vivo and in vitro tests, adopting harmonized and f) Residue waste gypsum from health care. internationally accepted protocols (USEPA, OECD). The University of Houston suggests a procedure V - GROUP E: piercing or sharp material, such as for chemical safety and risk management, based on shaving blades, needles, scalp, glass ampoules, drills, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Protection of endodontic files, diamond burs, scalpel blade, lancets, the Environment, (U.S. Environmental Protection capillary tubes, micropipettes, and spatulas; also all the Agency). According to EPA definition, pollution broken glass utensils from laboratory (pipettes, blood prevention is a reduction of waste at source and collection tubes and Petri dishes) and others. environmentally correct recycling, thus any plan to tackle this problem must consider the 3 Rs, of This legislation considers agents of class 4 exposure Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; (high individual risk and high risk to the community) the • Reduce the use of hazardous material and, where pathogens that represent major threat to humans and ani- possible, use small quantities of chemical agents; mals, and which pose great risk to whom might handle it; • Reuse material, i.e., transfer or share the use of ha- or likely to be transferred from one individual to another; zardous material between the various laboratories of and those without preventive measures or treatment. the institution, or store it properly to be used when Hazardous chemical waste are those listed in Group necessary; B, as per CONAMA resolution 283 of 12 July 2001, and • Recycle which uses filtration and distillation syste- classified as hazardous, according to NBR 10004, by pre- ms, among others, that allow the reuse of solvents. senting characteristics of toxicity, reactivity, flammability and/or corrosivity. The non-hazardous chemical waste are Another important way to minimize waste genera- the result of institutions’ laboratory activities for provision tion is to consider the use of less toxic chemicals, both in of health services that do not exhibit the above character- research laboratories and in the classroom. Avoid the use istics, defined as follows: of unnecessary ingredients, such as emulsifiers in solvents to be used or discarded, and separate the different types of • Flammability: any liquid whose flash point is less solvents for reuse or recycling. The university laboratories than 60 ºC, compressed gas with a high degree of tend to generate a considerable amount of chemical waste ignition, oxidants, substances capable of catching as they often use outdated techniques and a large volume fire, under normal pressure and temperature, by of solvents. Other suggestions designed to minimize the Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions 193 generation of waste are: replace the use of mercury ther- practice is to make an inventory of the compounds mometers for digital thermometers; replace sulfochromic used in laboratories and to identify the likely repla- solution or alcoholic solution of potassium hydroxide or cement. The laboratory technician responsible for potassium hydroxide for sonication, when possible for the use of these compounds needs to evaluate the the cleaning laboratory glassware; replace tests with acids possible replacements, using the information given and strong bases, therefore more toxic, for vinegar and by suppliers in the material safety data sheet (MSDS ammonia; replace carbon tetrachloride by cyclohexane, - Material Safety Data Sheet); according to the process described below: • centralize the acquisition of chemicals, and biologi- cal and radiation materials; REDUCTION • dating all received material, thus facilitating earlier use of the oldest ones; In the process of waste reduction at source, the goal • make an inventory of purchased and used chemical is to facilitate any activity that reduces or eliminates the agents in the laboratory: maintain a file containing generation of hazardous chemical waste. This activity can their location, which should be updated annually. be implemented with good management when acquiring This facilitates the reduction of the quantity stored, materials; when replacing toxic material with less harmful and avoids the purchase of unnecessary material; ones, and with good laboratory practice. Here are some • provide employees with updated MSDS - Material suggestions that allow the reduction of waste at source Safety Data Sheet of the chemicals used in labora- according to the University of Florida: tories; • acquire any chemical, biological and radiation • implement a policy of minimizing waste in the uni- materials in the least possible amount. The motto versity research and students practice laboratory, of the American Chemical Society (2008), is “Less and train all those involved in these activities. The is better”, it is safe and environmentally correct to reduction at the source can be achieved through im- buy less material, use less and, ultimately, dispose provement of methods or processes and replacement of less, allowing a reduction in risk of accidents, of ineffective equipment. In educational institutions, fires, or harm to human health, and at the same time this is not always possible, but one should consider reduces costs; using more modern extraction techniques, such as • purchase the equipment needed for immediate use solid phase extraction, or supercritical fluid, to mi- and avoid purchasing materials in large quantities, nimize waste by using smaller volumes of organic even it seems to be economically advantageous, solvents; since stocking can be expensive, or dangerous, and • do not mix dangerous classes of waste with non- may lead to products exceeding their expiration date. hazardous ones; A significant part of disposal done by universities is • consider the possibility of using less toxic reagents, related to the purchase of unnecessary equipment; substituting for products with lower toxicity. In this • label all reagents to allow their ready identification. context, it is possible to consider the replacement Borrow material from other labs, or buy it in small of products such as benzene, used as a solvent, with quantities. There is a successful story about a che- hexane or xylene; formalin or formaldehyde, used micals redistribution program at the University of as a preservative for specimens in the laboratory, Wisconsin - Madison, which has existed since 1980. with ethanol; halogenated solvents in the extraction About 30% of excess chemical purchased for each process with non-halogenated solvents; sodium quarter are redistributed by the university, which dichromate with sodium hypochlorite, in some allows an economy of $ 10-20,000.00 on disposal oxidation reactions; in studies using radioactive of chemicals for the university. Thus, the institution material, replace liquid scintillation-based toluene donates chemicals to those who need them and at with a non-flammable solvent; in qualitative tests for the same time, reduces the amount to be discarded, heavy metals, replace sulfide ion with ion hydroxide. and all benefit from this type of procedure; Replacement is not always possible because some • consider the possibility of testing in micro-scale, substitutes do not always produce fully satisfactory using new glassware and techniques that reduce results, or are toxic or too expensive. Thus, it is quantities used to milligrams, which yields many necessary to evaluate if the replacement material is benefits such as lower costs, since small-scale ex- suitable and delivers acceptable results. A common periments using fewer solvents and other chemical 194 E. S. Nascimento, A. Tenuta Filho
agents are generally processed more quickly, becau- acids with less than 6 carbon atoms; amino alkanoic acid se it is faster to heat or cool small volumes, reduces with less than 7 carbon atoms; class of ammonia salts , exposure to harmful agents and reduces harmful sodium and potassium salts of the acids mentioned above, emissions. However, please note that this technique with less than 21 carbon atoms; chloralkanoic acid with can only be implemented to achieve the analytical less than 4 carbon atoms; proposed objective; Esters: esters with less than 5 carbon atoms; isopro- • consider the alternative of presentations/demonstra- pyl acetate. The compounds that have unpleasant odor, tions on video, computer modeling and simulations, such as dimethylamine, 1,4-butanediamine, butyric and which eliminate environmental impacts, as substi- valeric acid, must be neutralized and their salts should be tutes for laboratory tests in the classroom. These discarded in the sink into sewage drain diluted with at least multimedia simulations allow the student to observe 1,000 volumes of water; more complex procedures than would be possible in Ketones with less than 6 carbon atoms; traditional activities in the laboratory; Nitriles: acetonitrile, Propionitrile; • consider prior separation of reagents and weighing Sulfonic acid: sodium or potassium salts of these in the laboratory, avoiding contamination of several acids are acceptable. rooms and environments; • avoid using reagents containing toxic metals such Reuse and recycling as lead, chromium, arsenic, mercury, barium, silver, cadmium and selenium; Reuse and recycle processes when possible in a new • do not use sulfochromic solutions: substitute them way, or treat and reuse it in the same way, or in another for less toxic solutions such as biodegradable de- type of activity. Some examples of recycling are: tergents like Alconox or Pierce RBS35. Evaluate the possibility of using hot water and detergent for • distillation of used solvents; cleaning glass, instead of solvents; • in cleaning processes, the glassware can be initially • always keep the laboratory clean and in order; washed with used solvents; • discard waste for disposal in the sink leading to the • purchase only compressed gas cylinders from manu- sewage system. Some organic and inorganic com- facturers that accept the return of empty or partially pounds may be discarded in the sewage system, in used ones; quantities of 100g and diluted 100 times. Generally, • in pesticide studies, it is advisable to establish the water-soluble organic compounds which have lower practice of returning any unused material to the boiling temperature of approximately 50ºC should research sponsor; not be discarded in this manner. Some compounds • avoid the contamination of fuel with solvents or are hydrophilic, when present at levels up to 3% and heavy metals; have low toxicity. The compounds listed below are • share chemical agents among the various university readily biodegradable and can be discarded in the units; sink: • control the use of metallic mercury.
Organic compounds: alkyl alcohols with less than If the above procedures are not suitable for specific 5 carbon atoms: situations to minimize waste, an alternative may be the t-myl alcohol; Alkanediols with less than 8 carbon final chemical treatment of the generated hazardous waste. atoms: glycerol, sugars alcoxi alkanes with less than 7 The techniques routinely used in reducing chemical waste carbon atoms: n-C4H9OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OH, 2-Chlo- are: neutralization, precipitation, oxidation, reduction and roethanol; distillation, practices to be conducted by trained laboratory Aldehydes: Aliphatic compounds with less than 5 technicians. carbon atoms; Amides: RCONH2 and RCONHR with less than 5 Neutralization carbon atoms; RCONR2 with less than 11 carbon atoms; Amines: aliphatic compounds with less than 7 The most common treatment is to neutralize highly carbon atoms; aliphatic diamines with less than 7 carbon acidic or alkaline solutions, leading to a desirable pH of atoms, benzilamina, pyridine carboxylic acids: alkanoics 6 to 9. Thus, if this solution does not contain other toxic acids with less than 6 carbon atoms; hydroxy alkanoics compounds it can be treated as regular trash and discarded Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions 195 in the sewage. Strong acids or bases must be neutralized contribute to the prevention of environmental pollution, before being released into the sewage, including those with and minimize costs with health and the environment. The the following cations: Al3+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, H+, K+, Li+, proper disposal of hazardous waste involves direct costs to 2+ + + 2+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 2+ Mg , Na , (NH4) , Sn , Sr , Ti , Ti , Zr ; and anions: the universities, as is the case at the University of Bristol 3- 2- - 2- - - - - (BO3) , (B4O7) , Br , (CO3) , (HSO3) , (OCN) , (OH) , I , which produced 1,209 tonnes of waste between August 07 - 3- 2- - 2+ (NO3) , (PO4) , (SO4) , (SCN) , Zn . and July 08, excluding construction waste. Of this 1,861 tonnes, the amount recycled or reused was 704 tonnes Precipitation, oxidation and reduction (39%). The total cost of waste management in 2008 was over £200,000. By increasing the amount of waste that These processes can remove hazardous components can be reused and recycled it is possible to reduce the of chemical waste and the final product can be discarded amount going to landfills and save money in the process as common trash. Precipitates derived from these reac- (Bristol University, http://www.bristol.ac.uk/environment/ tions may require more effective waste treatment. The waste/). Thus, while reducing the production of waste and application of these procedures for chemical treatment encouraging recycling, they also reduce costs. in laboratories, apart from reducing hazardous waste, allows its incorporation as a common practice in teaching COMMITTEES/PROGRAMS FOR WASTE MA- the students responsible management of chemical waste, NAGEMENT IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS fostering future generations of scientists with a better understanding of proper waste disposal. Common sense dictates that the universities should The recycling of solvents, among other materials maintain a committee, or program to minimize waste, used in technical analysis, allows the reuse of material, which actively seeks ways to reduce it in their teaching which otherwise would be discarded as hazardous waste. and research units. This is being practiced in various These techniques require planning, when they are incor- academic institutions in America, Australia and Europe, porated into the teaching laboratories activities. Solvent among others, which can be checked out by visiting their recycling, if well done, brings advantages to the academy electronic portals. Some examples are found at: in terms of risk reduction, harmful waste reduction, lower costs, and is also beneficial for the students because as University of Delaware www.udel.edu/OHS/chemi- previously mentioned, it allows them to learn about waste cal.html management in a responsible manner and understand the Northwestern University http://www.research.north- university commitment to hazardous waste reduction. western.edu/ors/safety/chemical/waste/ According to IZZO, 2000, coordinating hazardous University of Western Australia www.fm.uwa.edu. waste management at a university can be very complex, as au/about/policies/chemical_waste most universities are decentralized, most research laborato- University of Lousville http://louisville.edu/dehs/ ries have an unstable workforce, relying heavily on graduate waste/waste/Guide/chap3.html students and postdoctoral associates who are usually at the The University of Illinois www.drs.uiuc.edu/wa- university for limited time, and the type of waste generation steguide/ changes frequently, as the focus of the research changes. University of Minnesota www.dehs.umn.edu/haz- As mentioned earlier, educational and research waste_chemwaste_umn_cwmgbk.htm institutions generate pollution because they produce University of Florida http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/HMM/ harmful waste, discard hazardous materials in the sink, wmin.htm allow the evaporation of solvents, among other activi- Columbia University http://www.ehs.columbia.edu/ ties detrimental to the environment. The recommended WasteMgt.html process of reducing production of harmful wastes is not University of Wisconsin always feasible, because the concept of research implies http://www2.fpm.wisc.edu/chemsafety/ the study of new compounds and their disposal if the result GUIDE2005/chapter%206.pdf is neither interesting nor relevant. This type of activity Duke University www.safety.duke.edu/SafetyManu- is quite different from industrial processes, where there als/University/Q-Chemwastemgt.pdf are routine activities, constant use of raw materials and Arizona State University http://www.asu.edu/uagc/ well known waste products. In research, the multitude EHS/chemical1.htm of non-routine activities is inherently more difficult to University of Bath http://www.bath.ac.uk/internal/ control. Nevertheless, the suggestions described here may waste/wastespecchem.htm 196 E. S. Nascimento, A. Tenuta Filho
Toronto University www.ehs.utoronto.ca/Resourc- of São Paulo that is taking on board the values outlined es/wmindex/wm5_2.htm above on health and environmental quality, having deci- University of Minnesota http://www.dehs.umn.edu/ ded to implement an environmental management system hazwaste.htm to establish a more suitable environmental performance, Bowling Green State University http://www.bgsu. according to more modern canons. edu/offices/envhs/page18356.html University of Colorado http://ecenter.colorado.edu/ CONCLUSION greening_cu/2000/page6.html Universidade de Clenson http://ehs.clemson.edu Green chemistry was a concept introduced by EPA Some universities also have Brazilian electronic in the 1990s, a more sustainable chemistry in collaboration portals that can be visited to evaluate their procedures for with the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Green collection of chemical waste chemicals in their campi: Chemistry Institute. This green chemistry concept is rela- Universidade de São Paulo - Campus de São Carlos ted to the invention, development and application of me- http://www.sc.usp.br/residuos/rotulagem/downloads/ thodologies that reduce or eliminate the use of dangerous normas_recolh.pdf chemicals and sub-products, harmful to human health or Universidade Federal de São Paulo http://www. the environment. Several European countries, the U.S. and unifesp.br/reitoria/residuos/index.php Japan, among others, are encouraging the implementation Universidade Estadual Paulista http://www.unesp. of this concept in industries and activities of teaching and br/pgr/manuais/residuos.pdf research, including rewarding companies and researchers Universidade de Campinas http://www.cgu.uni- for developing chemical processes, services and products camp.br/residuos/sobre/gerquim.htm that not damage the environment. In fact this concept does Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina http://www. not introduce anything new, because it encompasses va- cga.ufsc.br/programas/residuos.htm lues that have being discussed since the 1970s. However, Universidade de Brasília www.unb.br/resqui incorporate values and the parameters of sustainability discussed in Agenda 21, the Protocol of Kyoto and Rio Hazardous waste management programs encourage the +10. However, the relevance of this green chemistry is to minimization of waste in universities and provides incentives incorporate their concerns into the concept of danger or to these institutions to reduce the health environmental risks, toxicity of chemicals. It is worth noting that, the concept and at the same time decrease the amount of hazardous waste of toxicity is the potential capability that the substances to be handled, stored and transported, as well as reduce the have to present a hazard to life and the environment under cost of packaging, transportation, and disposal. certain conditions (Klassen, 2007). The concept of green The University of Clenson (http://ehs.clemson. chemistry is to avoid this hazard. Thus, in avoiding this edu/) offers an example of a safety and environmental hazard you can make use of the basic paradigm of Toxico- health plan in the campus that applies to all faculty units, logy that is the concept of risk, which includes the hazard staff and students, as well as to all activities undertaken or toxicity, which is likely to produce harm under specific there. This plan includes the following: general safety on conditions, namely: campus; accordance with the laws of occupational and environmental health, disaster management, emergency Risk= Hazard (or toxicity) x Exposure response to hazardous products, air quality in the external and internal environment of the university, management This risk approach allows the intrinsic toxicity of of lead used in the edifications throughout the university; chemical compounds and also their conditions of exposure ergonomic plan, plan for prevention, control and measu- to be dealt with (Klaassen, 2007). Thus, while advocating res of chemicals spillage, policies against violence in the the use of substances of lower toxicity, it is also creating workplace; hygiene in the use of chemicals; biosafety a policy of damage prevention for humans and the envi- manual; risk communications; nanotechnology manual; ronment. In the process of creating control over chemical manual for management disposal of chemical agents; exposure, alternatives to minimize chemical risk are also manual for respiratory protection, and control of exposure created. The laws related to minimizing chemical risk to blood borne pathogens, industrial hygiene and manual are based on maximum permissible or tolerable levels of radiation protection. of exposure, the use of preventive measures to minimize An example of pioneering initiatives in this area is exposure, the use of personal protection equipment, and the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University also, measures to control technology and treatment of ef- Chemical waste risk reduction and environmental impact generated by laboratory activities in research and teaching institutions 197 fluents. Since chemical safety is the opposite of chemical ASHBROOK, P. C.; REINHARDT, P. A. Hazardous wastes in risk, any of the above presented alternatives such as the academia. Environ. Sci. Technol., v.19, p.1150-1155, 1985. replacement of a less intrinsically toxic compound, or alteration of exposure conditions are welcome. If low risk BARBOSA, D. P. Gerenciamento dos resíduos dos laboratórios products are used, no additional costs will be needed to do Instituto de Química da Universidade Estadual do Rio secure conditions of exposure (Tundo, 2000). de Janeiro como um projeto educacional e ambiental. Eng. In conclusion, the implementation of constant train- Sanit. Ambient., v.8, p.114-119, 2003. ing of university teachers and students with regard to safety in the use, storage and disposal of dangerous prod- BENDASSOLLI, J. A.; MÁXIMO, F.; TAVARES, G. A.; ucts, is key for all above mentioned procedures of health IGNOTO, R. F. Gerenciamento de resíduos químicos e and management quality to become a reality. águas servidas no Laboratório de Isótopos Estáveis do CENA/USP. Quim. Nova, v.26, p.612-617, 2003. REFERENCES BORGHESAN, L.; ALBERGUINI, A.; SILVA, L. 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